Great News for Animals
Adidas and Other Fashion Industry Leaders Boycott Wool From Mutilated Sheep
Following discussions with PETA, global retail giants Adidas and Perry Ellis International and major European retailer IC Companys have pledged not to use wool from farmers who perform the mulesing mutilation. Mulesing—a cruel attempt to prevent maggot infestations, which could be humanely controlled with other methods—is a gruesome procedure in which gardening shears are used to cut chunks of skin and flesh off lambs’ backsides without any painkillers. HUGO BOSS—which has more than 1,000 stores worldwide—has also pledged to be 100 percent mulesed-wool-free in less than two years. With these new pledges, PETA has gained more clout in our campaign to reform the wool industry and improve the lives of the millions of sheep who face mutilation for the sake of a sweater or a pair of socks.
After months of negotiations, PETA has won a pledge from KFC Canada to phase in the exclusive purchase of chickens from suppliers who use a less cruel slaughter method called controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK). The current method of slaughter used by most KFC suppliers worldwide—during which birds are often maimed and scalded while still conscious—involves electric paralysis and throat-cutting.
PETA has also convinced Popeye’s, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Burger King, Safeway, Carl Jr.’s, Hardee’s, and other companies to give purchasing preference to CAK suppliers.
There’s even an extra bonus for customers: Per our agreement, KFC Canada will provide its customers with a cruelty-free option—saving countless birds—by offering a vegan faux-chicken menu item at the majority of its restaurants!
The agreement with KFC Canada also adds growing pressure to KFC in the U.S. and other countries around the world to adopt similar reforms. To date, PETA has organized more than 12,000 demonstrations at KFC outlets, and our campaign against the companies’ worst atrocities will continue until its global parent company, YUM! Brands, agrees to follow its Canadian counterpart.
Major Grocery Chain Harris Teeter Says ‘No!’ to Ringling Bros.
Large Southeastern grocery chain Harris Teeter confirmed that it will not enter into future partnerships with circuses that use live animals. The announcement followed discussions with PETA about how the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus forces animals to perform confusing, painful, and often dangerous tricks by beating the animals with fists, sticks, whips, and steel-tipped bullhooks. Other corporations that have dropped their associations with Ringling as a result of PETA pressure include Denny’s, MasterCard, Visa, Liz Claiborne, and Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Leading Medical School in Taiwan Cancels Cruel Animal Experiments
After PETA provided the National Taiwan University College of Medicine—Taiwan’s leading medical school—with information about sophisticated non-animal teaching methods, the school canceled its pharmacology experiments. In the experiments, students were asked to inject the toxic chemical strychnine into mice, watch the animals convulse in agony, and record the animals’ times of death. The school also canceled an experiment in which mice were injected with a poison that causes loss of muscular control before they were forced onto a balancing rod. Brain surgeries on living frogs were canceled as well. We are now working on persuading the school to join more than 100 other medical schools that have completely ended the use of animals for undergraduate medical training.
Starz Media Stops Using Live Animals in Ads
As a direct result of PETA pressure, prominent New York-based ad company Starz Media changed its plans to use a live chimpanzee to promote the animated movie Space Chimps. Also, MovieTickets.com—the leader in the online movie-ticket business—has recently ended its use of chimpanzees in advertisements as a result of discussions with PETA.
None of our work to stop the suffering of so many animals would be possible without your continued generous support. Thank you for being a strong and passionate voice for animals everywhere.
Kind regards,
Ingrid Newkirk
Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
P.S. I’d like to give you a verbal “snapshot” from the work of PETA affiliates around the world: A recent summary of Internet search-engine inquiries found that “PETA” was the seventh-most-searched term in India, coming in just after “causes of global warming.” PETA India—which celebrated its eighth anniversary—pushes for zoo reforms; helps retire “working” bullocks; investigates cruelty in laboratories, on factory farms, and in slaughterhouses; and much more. With your help, PETA and its affiliates are truly turning the whole world’s attention to animal issues.
Original source: People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals at http://www.peta.org/